Admiral Collingwood Elementary School

NEWSLETTER 15 Dey Drive Collingwood, Ontario, L9Y 4N9 Principal: Sheri McHardy

705-445-0811 Vice Principal: Angela Cook

SEPTEMBER

2016 Follow us on Twitter

@acfleet

IN THIS ISSUE

News at a Glance: Welcome back

School News:. Pizza Days

School Cash On-line

Student Accident

Insurance

Parking Lot

Volunteers

Picture Day

Health & Wellness: Healthy School Lunch

Safe Routes to School

Parent & Student

Resources: Gifted Screening

Rainbows

School Council

Upcoming Events: We will keep you

posted

WELCOME BACK! Keep connected with your school and the SCDSB

It’s important to get accurate information about what’s going on at your school and your

school board. Please feel free to call the school at any time if you have questions or concerns.

You can subscribe to our school’s website by visiting the ‘What's New’ section at http://adm..scdsb.on.ca. You can sign up to receive emails about school news updates and information during emergency situations. It’s easy to subscribe – visit our website and click the ‘Subscribe’ link at the very top of the page. When you fill out your email and click Subscribe, an email will be sent to your inbox with a link to click to confirm that you want to subscribe. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of each email. For Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) media releases and event information, visit the ‘News’ section under ‘About Us’ at the SCDSB’s website: www.scdsb.on.ca. The SCDSB Education Centre can be reach at 705-734-6363.

Follow the SCDSB on Twitter (@SCDSB_Schools), Facebook (facebook.com/SCDSB) and

Instagram (instagram.com/scdsb).

Follow Admiral Collingwood on Twitter @acfleet

Through SCDSB’s Sharing Simcoe blog (www.sharingsimcoe.com), we share stories of some of the amazing people involved in our schools. The blog features stories and tips from our own in-house experts and experts we work with in the community, as well as good news stories about our schools.

For school bus transportation information, visit the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium’s website at: main.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca. And remember to bookmark the school bus information page at: simcoecountyschoolbus.ca for bus delay and cancellation information on inclement weather days.

Safety reminder: Our school doors are locked during the day

The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. We have a number of

procedures in place designed to keep our school safe. One of the newer initiatives is that our

front door is locked during the school day. All other school doors are also locked. To access

the building, visitors will need to press the intercom button at the front door.

Staff in the office will let visitors into the school. This will help us ensure that all visitors sign

in at the office. Please understand that staff may not be available to answer the door

immediately. If you have any questions about safety procedures, as always, please contact

the office.

8:40 - Playground Supervision Begins

8:55 - Entry Bell

10:35-11:15 - Nutrition Break / Activity Break

12:55-1:35 - Nutrition Break / Activity Break

3:15 - Dismissal

ARRIVE

ON

TIME

Welcome to the new school year!

Procedures help keep our school safe

The safety and well-being of students is our top priority. We have a number of procedures in place to keep

our school safe. You can help your child understand and feel safe by:

talking to them about the situations below

reminding them that emergencies are rare

telling them it’s important to follow staff instructions in these situations

Parents should talk about the following emergency drills with their children:

Shelter in place is used when there is an environmental or weather-related situation, like a

chemical spill outside the building, or a major storm. Activities continue inside the school. Students

and staff are not allowed to leave the building. The ventilation system may be shut off.

A hold and secure is used when there is a situation in the community, not related to the school, like a

bank robbery nearby. Activities continue, but all doors are locked. No one is allowed to enter or exit

the school.

A lockdown is used when there is a major incident or a threat of violence related to the school.

Students and staff move to secure areas, away from doors and windows. Doors are locked, lights are

shut off and blinds are drawn. Students and staff remain quiet. We practice lockdown drills at least

two times per year. In the unlikely event of an actual lockdown situation, police ask that parents do

not go to the school. Information will be communicated through the school board social media sites

(www.facebook.com/SCDSB and www.twitter.com/SCDSB_Schools) and website (www.scdsb.on.ca),

through local police and local media.

All schools have evacuation plans in case of gas leaks, bomb threats or fire incidents that would

require everyone to leave the school. Each school has an evacuation site. Ours is

CCI - COLLINGWOOD COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE 6 Cameron Street, Collingwood. We hold drills

to practice our evacuation plan. In a real evacuation, students and staff may go to the evacuation site,

depending on the situation. Parents will be informed about pick-up procedures by the school, school

board and local media.

Elementary school main doors are locked during the school day. Visitors must use the intercom

system to enter the building. Staff may not be available to answer the door immediately,

please be patient. All visitors, including school volunteers, are required to sign in at the

school office and wear visitor identification.

Staff and volunteers must complete a criminal record check before having contact with students.

We ask parents to contact us when their child will be absent from school as part of our Safe Arrival

program. When we don’t hear from a parent/guardian, and a student is absent, we will call home to

find out the reason for the absence.

At least two staff members in every school are trained in first aid and CPR. All Simcoe County District

School Board schools have Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).

When parents are at school during a drill or emergency event, they must follow direction from school staff,

police, fire and/or emergency personnel. Parents may not have immediate access to their children during

drills or emergencies. They may need to wait until the situation is resolved and school staff and/or emergency

personnel release students into parent care.

It’s important for you to know we’ll always take whatever precautions are necessary to keep our school and

students safe.

There are lots of ways to dress for school:

Learn about the new student dress code

The SCDSB is introducing a new student dress code this

school year. The dress code was developed in consultation

with staff and students. Students are expected to respect the

guidelines when dressing for school. Our school is a safe

space. We work to be equitable and inclusive, and

understand that students may choose to express themselves

through their clothing choices. Student clothing cannot pose a

safety concern or conceal identity. Exceptions are granted to

students who wear head coverings or other garments/objects

for the purposes of religious observance, medical or sensory

needs, or other reasons protected by the Ontario Human

Rights Code.

The SCDSB dress code is available in the student agenda

and online at www.scdsb.on.ca. If you have questions about

the dress code, you can contact the principal or the SCDSB

Equity and Inclusive Education Team at 705-728-7570.

School bus ‘Bus Tag’ program helps students get to and from school safely

The Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium’s Bus Tag program supports safety for JK/SK and

other school identified students. The program helps match students to their assigned afternoon school bus

and identifies that they must be met by a parent or guardian at their afternoon bus stop.

The program provides a colour coded Bus Tag with the assigned p.m. route number to be attached to the

student’s backpack and a colour coded route card with route number in the windows of the school bus that

the Bus Tag is matched to. The program can also provide tags for students who are walkers and/or who

remain at an on-site daycare to make sure they don’t get on a bus in error.

For more information, visit main.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca and click on the ‘Safety’ tab.

Safety reminder from the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium (SCSTC)

A reminder to drivers as children return to school this fall, and school buses are back on the roads:

Take caution – be extra cautious in the vicinity of school buses and around school bus loading and

unloading zones

Pay attention – Watch for school buses’ distinctive chrome yellow colouring, flashing red lights and

stop arms. Drivers travelling in both directions on a road without a median must stop for a stopped

school bus that has its upper red lights flashing

Know the repercussions – Any driver that fails to stop for a school bus with its lights flashing is subject

to a fine of up to $2,000 and six demerit points for a first time offence

Be empowered – Anyone who witnesses a driver failing to stop for a school bus can report the

incident to the police

Visit the SCSTC web site at www.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca and click on the ‘Home’ button then the ‘Safety’

tab for more details.

Schools are available for community use

Through our Community Use of Schools program, almost all of our schools are available outside of school

hours for not-for-profit community groups. Our gyms, fields, auditoriums and classrooms are available for

your sporting events, concerts, recitals and more.

You can apply online. A Permit Clerk will process the application and advise if the facility is available at the

requested time. Once an application is approved, a rental contract will be issued and the applicant will be

invoiced.

For more information, visit www.scdsb.on.ca, click on ‘Schools’ and then ‘Community Use of Schools.’

Free International Languages classes – registration for fall program available now

Would your child like to learn a new language or maintain their first language? These courses are FREE and

open to any student in Grades 1 to 8. Classes run Saturday mornings from 9 to 11:30 a.m. beginning Sept.

17, 2016. Registration forms can be found at www.thelearningcentres.com or call 705-725-8360 x45151 or

45160 if you have any questions.

Register now for ESL fall classes

Do you or someone you know want to improve English language skills? The SCDSB Learning Centres can

help. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for adults are offered at the Alliston, Barrie and Bradford

Learning Centres. Visit www.thelearningcentres.com or call for more information: Alliston: 705-435-7778;

Barrie 705-725-8360; Bradford: 905-775-4432.

Active and Safe Routes to School

Walking or cycling to school is a great way to help your child get the 60 minutes of recommended daily

physical activity. It also teaches them to be aware of their own safety, builds responsibility and

independence, and helps them to feel more connected to the community. And it’s good for their physical and

mental health!

More walkers also means less car traffic around our school, which will help keep students safe and improve

outdoor air quality too. Committing to even one day a week of walking or cycling to school can make a big

difference!

To find out more about the recommendations for physical activity and how to make Active and Safe Routes

to School happen in your school community, visit www.saferoutestoschool.ca.

Reminder from the Health Unit: School grounds are smoke free 24/7

Protect yourself and your children from the health hazards of second-hand smoke. Remember, it is against

the law to smoke ANYWHERE on school property at ANY TIME. This includes smoking in your vehicle while

picking up or dropping off students. It is also against the law to smoke or hold lit tobacco in a vehicle carrying

anyone under age 16. The fine for ignoring the law is $250. For more information contact the

Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 or visit

www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

SOME GENTLE REMINDERS……….. ARRIVE ON TIME/ABSENCES

It is very important to your child’s learning experiences and achievement that he/she arrives at school on time. This means lining up with their class when the bell goes. All students are expected to be at school prior to the first warning bell at 8:53. the final bell rings at 8:55 AM. Please ensure a note is sent in and/or a call made to our Safe Arrival line when your child will be absent, including a reason for absence. Try to schedule appointments during one of our two breaks or after school.

Should parents/visitors need to enter the school, they must sign in at the

office. Thanks for your cooperation in this matter.

School News

RECOGNITION ASSEMBLIES

We are going to continue to have our Recognition Assemblies at the beginning of each month. These assemblies will promote spirit and character education through a variety of ways and provide leadership opportunities for students. We will also acknowledge students and teams/clubs. Parents are always welcome to join us for these assemblies.

PEANUT/NUT FREE SCHOOL We have students in our school this year with a severe allergy to peanuts and nuts. In order to reduce the risk of accidental exposure, we respectfully ask that families cooperate by not sending peanut or nut-containing products to school. Students who bring products with peanuts/nuts in them will be asked to not eat these products or will eat in a designated spot, which will be properly cleaned after eating. All parents should remember this when sending in food for class celebrations. WE ARE STRIVING TO BECOME PEANUT/NUT FREE! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at the office. Your co-operation and understanding of this matter is greatly appreciated.

PIZZA DAYS on THURSDAYS Orders for Pizza will be emailed and posted on-line through our web page towards the end of September. Orders will be on a month by month basis or you’ll have the option to purchase 3 months at a time. SLICES WILL NOT BE SOLD ON PIZZA DAYS, YOU MUST PRE-ORDER. Pizza Days will begin in October. Visit our web page at adm.scdsb.on.ca

STUDENT ACCIDENT INSURANCE 2016-2017 Student injuries at school, during school events, and extra-curricular activities (athletics, clubs, and out-of-province/out-of-country trips) are not covered by the Board or its insurance company. While every precaution is taken to provide a safe learning environment, accidents can and do happen. It is essential that all students participating in extra-curricular activities have adequate insurance coverage for all instances of injury. The Simcoe County District School Board has selected the “insure my kids” program through Old Republic Canada as an option for students/parents/guardians to consider with regards to purchasing student accident insurance coverage for the upcoming school year. The coverage is for 24 hours a day. This insurance offers a variety of plans and benefits at reasonable annual prices. Coverage can be purchased online at www.insuremykids.com. Please watch for your student accident insurance package along with a letter about requirements for extra-curricular activities and out-of-province or out-of-country trips.

PAY FOR FIELD TRIPS, LUNCH DAYS ON-LINE

The SchoolCash Online program is available at our school, offering parents the option to pay online for

lunch days and other items. Parents who sign up will receive a notification when a new item becomes

available for purchase. Items are personalized to each student. Parents use a secure online account to

process payments, and can either make a one-time payment for each item as it occurs, or load money

to carry a balance in the online account to make payments in the future. To create an online account,

go to simcoecounty.schoolcashonline.com. Please contact the school office with any questions.

VOLUNTEER IN OUR SCHOOL

Volunteers are an important part of what makes our school a great place to learn and grow. We value and appreciate the support of our volunteers. There are many opportunities available, including school council, breakfast clubs, reading help, assisting in the classroom or library and much more. Everyone who volunteers in a school must have a criminal record check, which includes a Vulnerable Sector Screening. Please call or visit the school office for more information about opportunities available or if you’d like to volunteer! Admiral has an excellent volunteer program, helping both staff and students, and it is very much appreciated. It’s another reason why our school is great for kids! Your involvement can assist teachers in providing more individual help for students, enable teachers to broaden the regular program and strengthen community-school relations. We would be most appreciative of your help on a regular or occasional basis. Please fill out the Volunteer Form (attached) if you are interested in becoming a school volunteer and return it to your child’s teacher.

All volunteers must have a current criminal record check. Volunteer/Applicant Screening Process forms

will be available at the school office. For returning volunteers, the Annual Offence Declaration forms will

be sent home and must be completed by November 30, 2016 or your name will be deleted from the data

base on January 1st, 2017 and you will have to submit a new Criminal Records Check and Vulnerable

Sector Screen.

BREAKFAST FOR LEARNING

In order for our school’s Breakfast for Learning program to continue this year, we require volunteers to shop for the breakfast food and to serve the food. Please contact the school if you are interested in volunteering to assist with this valuable program.

PARKING LOT Safety and efficiency in the parking lot continue to be our goals. Please note that parking spaces are EXTREMELY

limited and we encourage everyone to walk or bike to and from the school to reduce the number of vehicles. Please

do NOT park in the “Kiss and Drive” areas. These areas are for parents/caregivers to safely drop their children off and

then drive away.

Health & Wellness

PACKING A HEALTHY SCHOOL LUNCH Reminder from the Health Unit: Packing a healthy school lunch

School lunches should give children the energy and nutrients they need to be ready to learn, be more alert and

perform better at school. When planning lunches, keep these tips in mind:

Include one serving from at least three of the four food groups from Canada's Food Guide

Rather than buying pre-made lunch kits, make your own healthy lunch kit with divided containers and small

bite-sized cheese cubes, leftover chicken chunks, veggie sticks or fruit slices

Get your kids to eat more veggies! Try sending cucumber coins, zucchini sticks and pepper strips with dip

Don’t have them drink their fruit - send water or milk instead

For more information, call the Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-5720 and speak with a public health

nurse or visit the health unit’s website at www.simcoemuskokahealth.org. Also, check out the SCDSB’s Sharing Simcoe

blog post on healthy school lunch ideas your kids will actually eat: www.sharingsimcoe.com.

SAFE AND ACTIVE ROUTES TO SCHOOL Do you remember walking and biking to school and how much fun it was to meet up with your friends, and how physical activity made you feel energized for the day? Most Canadian children are not getting enough daily physical activity which means they’re not active enough to

achieve optimal growth and development and maintain a healthy weight. Regularly walking or cycling to school is an

excellent way to get the 60 minutes of recommended daily physical activity, but few children now regularly walk and

cycle to school. Children can also learn other valuable skills such as safety, responsibility, independence and an

increased connection to the community. Decreased car traffic in and around the school also means increased safety

and improved air quality.

School Travel Planning (STP) coaches are working with both schools as volunteers, documenting barriers to active and safe routes to school and creating and implementing unique school travel plans based on data collected through classroom and family surveys. To find out more about the recommendations for physical activity and how to make Active and Safe Routes to School happen in your school community, visit www.saferoutestoschool.ca. For more information, call the Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 and speak with a public health nurse or visit www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION A completed Request for Administration of Medication by School Personnel form is required each school year or when the need is identified or when a student transfers to another school, to authorize the administration of prescribed medication to students who require it during school hours or when the medication and/or dosage requirements change. Please contact the principal if your child requires medication or has severe allergic reaction or other medical life-threatening conditions so that a plan for assistance can be developed.

SCHOOL PICTURE DAY School pictures will be taken by Edge Imaging on Wednesday, October 5th. Retakes

are Friday, November 4th. More information will follow.

Parent & Student Resources

GIFTED SCREENING PROCESS Students who display an advanced degree of general intellectual ability require additional program support in order to reach their educational potential. This support may be through enhancing the curriculum, differentiated instruction and through providing program modifications. This type of programming is important to engage, motivate and challenge students who are identified as gifted in either the regular classroom or in gifted classroom placements. Parents/guardians of a student who will be in or above Grade 3 in the next school year, who wish the school to consider their child for gifted screening are asked to contact Heidi Green, our Special Education Resource Teacher by Friday, October 14, 2016 Students may be nominated by either a teacher or parent. A letter examining the gifted screening process in greater detail will be sent to parents of students in Grade 3 in September. Parents will still have the opportunity for nominating their child in September and October. If you require further information about the gifted screening process, please contact the school.

Rainbows Georgian Triangle, now operating under Elephant Thoughts, is accepting

registrations for their Rainbows, Spectrum and Prism fall programs.

Rainbows for All Children is an international not-for-profit organization that offers peer support to

assist children, adolescents and adults who are grieving death, divorce, separation, abandonment,

foster care, deployment, serious family illness or other painful loss.

Rainbows volunteer facilitators have helped nearly 3,000,000 youth in 18 countries since 1983.

Rainbows is endorsed by clinicians, courts, educational systems, churches, and mental health professionals.

3 levels are offered in Collingwood:

Rainbows – ages 5 to 14

Spectrum – grades 9 to 12

Prism – parents of youth in the program

Programs run twice yearly:

Fall (September – December) and Spring (January – May)

Rainbows Georgian Triangle is grateful to Collingwood General & Marine Hospital Foundation for sponsoring our 2016

programming. We thank all our community partners for their generosity, Elephant Thoughts, Meridian Credit Union,

Therapeutic Paws of Canada, Imaginarium Adventures in Art, Toppers Pizza, Boston Pizza, Metro, Blue Mountain

Village Foundation.

To register, or for more information:705-446-8249 or

RainbowsGT@hotmail.com

AN INVITATION TO JOIN YOUR SCHOOL COUNCIL

The School Council needs parents and community volunteers to maximize chances for student success at Admiral Collingwood. Please consider volunteering your time to help our students, teachers and administrators excel in academics, athletics, arts and attitude.

Come out on October 5th and hear what the School Council is all about!

The development and maintenance of a safe and healthy learning environment is a high priority for the School Council. Parent commitment is crucial. We recognize that each parent has different skills, interests and amounts of time to offer to the school. All contributions are welcome. The current school council chair would be pleased to discuss individual circumstances and work together to create a plan that maximizes your volunteer capacity.

Time commitments include:

Attendance at council meetings (6-8 per school year – 2 hour duration per meeting)

Available positions: Chair, Co-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Fun Fair Co-ordinator, Popcorn Co-ordinator and Fundraising Co-ordinator Participation in one or more sub-committee(s) (time commitment varies)

Support of ACSC events and fundraising initiatives (time commitment varies from 1 hour shifts to the coordinator role requiring 15+ hours) Role of the school council:

School councils play an advisory role. Their purpose is to improve student achievement and enhance the accountability of the education system to parents.

School councils are able to make recommendations to their principals and district school boards on any matter.

Principals and school boards must consult with school councils on a variety of matters that affect student learning.

Principals and school boards must consider recommendations made by school councils and report back to the council on how they plan to act on their advice.

UNABLE TO ATTEND BUT INTERESTED IN HELPING?

Please contact Sheri McHardy, Principal at smchardy@scdsb.on.ca or call 705-445-0811

Note: the Parent Candidate Nomination form (required to become a voting member of the School Council) is attached and is available in the school office as well as the school website.

Monday, October 3rd , 2016

6:30 PM in the Library